How Toronto Got Queer

Senior Lecturer Rebecka Sheffield's book, Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer was published by Coach House Books on May 18th. From the Coach website, the book "incorporates archival records and new perspectives on Toronto's LGBTQ history and includes chapters on: Oscar Wilde's trip to Toronto; early cruising areas and gay/lesbian bars; queer shared houses; a pioneering collective trans archive project; bath house raids; LBGT-police conflicts; the Queen Street art/music/activist scene; and a profile of Jackie Shane, the gay R&B singer who performed in drag in both Toronto and Los Angeles, and gained international fame with his 1962 chart-topping single, 'Any Other Way.'"

Sheffield celebrated the release with a launch party in Toronto, Canada, in addition to other events. Before joining Simmons SLIS in Fall 2016, Sheffield served as the Executive Director for the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives in Toronto.